Barack: Judgment And Leadership

Half A Million Donors Before The Year Is Over

We are at 350,000 now. We must shoot for 500,000 before the year is over. It can be done.

Orange Alert: Oprah, Where Are You?

Bill Clinton should have retired in 2000. Instead he has been the 800 pound gorilla of this race. Have you seen Jimmy Carter or W's father campaign like this?

The only person in America who can counter that 800 pound gorilla is Oprah Winfrey, the top celebrity in the world. And she must do so. She must get actively involved.

It was insightful of Oprah to do a $3 million fundraiser for Barack during this past quarter. Or we would have been in trouble.

Oprah Needs To Hit The Campaign Trail

Bill Clinton, Student Of Politics

Bill Clinton asked himself, what's up with this guy Obama? How come he is raising more money than me? I am the one who is supposed to be the master of this game. And then he studied. He figured Obama's edge comes from raising money online and raising money in small donations. So Bill Clinton proceeded to do numerous $25 a person fundraisers this past quarter. And that has made all the difference. He doggedly learned how to do it.

Barack, Student Of Politics

Bill Clinton has been swift boating Barack and Barack has been doing the John Kerry thing, he has been taking it lying down.

The politics of personal destruction was what the Republicans did to the Clintons in the 1990s. Ken Starr hounded everyone who ever said hello to Billie Clinton in Arkansas. Barack's new kind of politics says no to that.

But when Hillary 2008 relentlessly pounds you with the "strength and experience" phrase, and you don't hit back, that is not new kind of politics, that is not the politics of hope. It sure is not new, John Kerry did that in 2004. Politics is a contact sport. You don't get to stay above the fray.

That one phrase has done Barack in this past quarter. And it has to be countered.

Barack: Strength And Judgment
Strength? What Strength? Experience? What Experience

Judgment And Leadership

Barack had the judgment and leadership to oppose this war back in 2002.

Barack has the judgment and leadership to bring people together and deliver universal health care.

Barack has the judgment and leadership to make America popular again in the world.

Barack has the judgment and leadership to turn the page on the old kind of politics.

Use of that phrase has to be so relentless that it should be obvious to one and all that that is supposed to be a counterstrike to the "strength and experience" phrase.

Hillary And Barack: Coke And Gatorade, Not Coke And Pepsi

The Clintons have done a good job of blurring the differences. They have managed to cast the impression that Barack and Hillary are Coke and Pepsi. It does not really matter. Both are smart. Both are progressive. We all make mistakes, so what if Hillary voted for the war back in the days. Barack will end the war, so will Hillary. Barack will give you health care, so will Hillary. So why not go for the tested and tried Clinton brand name? That is the Coke-Pepsi version.

The Coke and Gatorade version is that Hillary's vote for the war shows a serious lapse of judgment that also colors what she might do elsewhere. Will she stand up to public opinion like leadership sometimes asks for?

Bringing the troops back home is not the only thing to do to make up for a wrong vote, as Hillary seems to think. Where is her plan to fight the Al Qaeda? The real mistake of the Iraq War was the eyes were taken off the Al Qaeda. How would she remedy that? How will she put the eyes back on the Al Qaeda? She has not said much about that.

The Coke and Gatorade thing becomes much more clear on health care and ethics reform and on foreign policy. On foreign policy, Hillary is Bush-Cheney Lite. Bush will not talk to the hostile regimes, so Hillary will not either. She is more like Bush than like Bill Clinton. Bill Clinton talked to Kim Jong Il.

Preparing For Debates

That is key. You assemble people who stand in for all your rivals, and you get your staff to come up with all possible questions. And you work on one liners in advance. And you deliver.

Iowa Debate
Iowa Debate: Obama Clear Winner
One Debate A Month Is Enough: More Town Hall Meetings, Fewer Debates
Got To Tackle The Debates
Winner Of The Debate: YouTube
PBS Debate: Hillary Was Strong, Barack Was Warm, Edwards Was Composed
1 Debate, 1 Major Policy Speech, 1 Rally, 1 Big Fundraiser A Month
Submit Your Questions For The Debates
Barack, You Can Do Debates
DNC Needs To Take Over The Monthly Debates
One National Primary, Monthly National Debates, Videoblogged
Debates Matter: The Election Is On
Barack Lost The South Carolina Debate
South Carolina Debate

In The News

A Primer on the Vetoed SCHIP Bill NPR
Kaine Still Has High Hopes for Obama Washington Post Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D) said he's still confident Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill) can overcome Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) to win the Democratic nomination for president, despite new poll numbers that show Clinton is widening her lead nationwide. ....... Obama is still well positioned to win the Iowa caucus ...... "Someone who comes in and wins Iowa in a surprise way gets a tremendous amount of momentum ..... Kaine, who earlier this year became the first sitting Democratic governor to endorse Obama ..... Kaine is also organizing support for Obama in Virginia
Obama, in `a Bind,' Lashes Out at Frontrunner Clinton Over Iraq Bloomberg `Who got the single most important foreign-policy decision since the end of the Cold War right, and who got it wrong?'' ...... alternating between the roles of new-style, above-the-partisan-fray politician and challenger on the attack.
Blacks Split Between Clinton, Obama The Associated Press
Obama Tries to Overcome Clinton’s African-American Advantage CQPolitics.com
Obama camp claims JFK legacy Chicago Tribune Like John F. Kennedy, Obama is a young, charismatic senator who casts himself as an agent of generational change, and as one whose election would break barriers of prejudice that have long compromised American ideals........ the man who provided much of the poetry for Camelot, Kennedy speechwriter Theodore Sorensen ....... Sorensen introduced Obama as "the only serious candidate for president" who exhibits the kind of judgment that allowed Kennedy to successfully navigate the Cuban missile crisis. ...... a time of idealism and a leader who in public memory remains forever young and full of possibility. ........ David Yepsen of The Des Moines Register, Iowa's most influential political columnist, noted that "invoking Kennedy imagery is a delicate thing for any politician to do," but concluded that "Obama succeeded in pulling it off." ...... Obama follows a long list of candidates who have aped Kennedy's look, style, rhetoric, even gestures. ...... Sorensen reminded audiences that Kennedy also "had been accused of being too inexperienced and too young" yet successfully led the country through "the most dangerous 13 days in the history of mankind ....... Kennedy challenged conventional foreign policy wisdom by negotiating directly with Soviet leaders, Obama has expressed a willingness to meet with now-ostracized foreign dictators—a position that Clinton has criticized as naive. ......... "With JFK, it's the aura, it's the rhetoric, the youthfulness, the charisma. ...... a shift away from the Vietnam-era generation whose cultural conflicts have framed the nation's recent politics.
Kennedy Aide Back in Iowa for Obama New York Times
Obama Sharpens Foreign Policy Rhetoric Campaigns & Elections both men were inexperienced who made excellent decisions. ....... claims that they thought they were voting for more inspections and not war, saying, "How can you give the president a blank check and not expect him to cash it?"
Clinton opens chasm in Democratic race AFP basking in a 33 point opinion poll lead over rival Barack Obama ..... Clinton grabbed support from a majority of Democrats for the first time ..... the Clinton braintrust perceptibly cranked up the pace of their campaign ....... The former First Lady's ratings surged 12 percent just from early September, while Obama slumped seven percent, in a period when Clinton and her ex-president husband Bill Clinton fanned out across crucial television markets. ...... Clinton had neutralized Obama's claim to be the true candidate of change in the race, and that Democratic voters were attracted to her leadership qualities ..... For anyone but Clinton, among the top three candidates, a defeat in Iowa could prove disastrous to their hopes of a prolonged contest for the Democratic presidential nomination. ....... Clinton unveiled a 27 million dollar third quarter fundraising period, crushing Obama's 20 million dollar take
Clinton Dominating Race for Democratic Nomination NPR Clinton has a substantial lead over rival Barack Obama among Democrats. She has also out-earned him in fundraising and drawn more media attention. The former first lady has the leading poll numbers, dollars and strategy in the Democratic field. ....... Clinton's recent gains are due, partly, to her focus on low-dollar donors, which Obama has been focusing on all along.
Nepal's top politicians meet to try resolve political crisis International Herald Tribune communist rebels who have threatened to resume street protests by the end of the week
Anand Mohan gets death The Statesman
For Bihar DM’s murder, a former MP gets death, his wife a life term Indian Express
Former Politician Sentenced to Death The Associated Press for his role in a 1994 murder of a government official, the first time a member of India's parliament has received a capital sentence. ....... the connection between underworld crime and politics in rural India. ........ Mohan was convicted of leading a mob that pulled senior government official G. Krishnaiah out of his car and beat him unconscious before shooting him to death because the official's car had inadvertently crossed paths with the funeral procession of a noted underworld don and aspiring politician, Chottan Shukla.
'India one of world's greatest cultures' Economic Times
First Pakistani truck in 42 years crosses into India at Wagah Daily Times
5th Republican US senator to retire, increasing Democrats' chances ... International Herald Tribune
Republican Senate Stalwart From New Mexico Is Said to Be Retiring New York Times
Bush doesn't rule out talks with Iran Earthtimes.org
Multiwavelength Images Of Distant Universe Now Available On Google Sky Science Daily
Madison Square Garden Is Facing a Second Sexual Harassment Lawsuit New York Times
Many US Women Misinformed About Breast Cancer, NBCC Survey Finds Kaiser network.org
Q&A with Bill Gates: Microsoft's pushing its frontiers USA Today I'm finding music I haven't seen in 20 years. ...... the amount of reading that's going to take place off the (computer) screen, over time, will be greater than off of paper ....... critics who say Microsoft has become too big, too bureaucratic, too political, too slow to innovate ......We're stronger today than we've ever been as a company. Our worldwide breadth, the success of our products, our sales, our profitability, our balance sheet and — perhaps most important — the depth of talent is greater than it has ever been.
Microsoft Looks to Social Networking for Zune 2.0 PC World song sharing ..... a new community site, dubbed Zune Social ..... Zune owners can automatically share their current playlists with friends using a Zune-to-Zune Social sync. ..... tracks received from another Zune owner can still be played only three times ..... I wonder if Microsoft looks at the success of Facebook and MySpace, and is actually trying to use [Zune Social] as an entry into the social networking realm."
Britney Spears Allowed Supervised Visitation Of Children MTV.com

Minister Nepal says army should be mobilised in seven districts NepalNews
Baluwatar meet inconclusive; 'Deadlock may led to election postponement'
Don't drag us into media disruption dispute, warns Bhattarai; EU concerned
Conspiracies afoot to create rift between army and democratic forces: says NA chief
Uphold rule of law, says EU; RPP-Nepal denounces YCL action
CEC urges parties not to postpone polls
Nepal’s peace process at critical juncture: Carter Center
FM Pradhan meets UN secretary-general in New York
'Intermediary' sees little hope for country reaching a political consensus
Maoists and the Election

Maoists assure they have no intention of harming tourists during protests
Strike hits eastern districts

Kapilvastu commission starts work
Anything less than proportional system not acceptable: Prachanda
Disruption in Kantipur continues; Mahara says it is internal matter

Obama, with money on his side, still seeks traction USA Today In February, when Obama announced his candidacy, he trailed Clinton 48%-23% in the USA TODAY/Gallup Poll. After nearly eight months, six debates and the expenditure of millions of dollars, the numbers are nearly the same: 45%-24%. ..... "Nobody has gone from zero to 60 faster in American politics than Barack Obama ....... Obama's underlying message is that it's time to "turn the page" from the polarization that marks not only the Bush administration but also the Bill Clinton administration that preceded it. ...... Obama continues to have two big assets: time and money. ..... Obama's financial strength makes it possible for him to prepare for a protracted fight. He already has hired staffers in California, Colorado and Missouri ....... "This is a very deliberative campaign that has a strategy and a timeline they set out for themselves, and they're sticking to a plan here." ....... — New Hampshire, Michigan, Nevada, Florida and South Carolina — and Clinton now has double-digit percentage leads in all of them. ....... the gap between Obama and Clinton in the Gallup Poll hasn't been stable. It narrowed in late spring and early summer, twice falling into single-digits ........ He has solidified gains among those under 30, though Clinton still leads in this age group, 54%-43%. ....... Previous presidential candidates who sparked enthusiasm among young people — Dean in 2004, Bradley in 2000 and Gary Hart in 1984 — had trouble translating their energy into votes ...... more than 5,400 Iowans had joined the campaign's social-networking site, my.barackobama.com. ..... leads Obama by a yawning 69%-26% among seniors, the group most likely to vote. ..... They are now tied at 47% each among those with annual household incomes of $75,000 or more, and Obama lags Clinton by only 4 points among those with postgraduate degrees. ....... The challenge for Barack Obama is to move his appeal downscale. ....... Those with annual household incomes of $30,000 or less prefer Clinton over Obama by 70%-27%, and her lead is nearly as big among people with a high-school education or less. ...... he's preparing for an extended campaign and a battle for every delegate. ..... "He has an energy the other candidates don't have .. "He brings this excitement and freshness. Hillary feels like, you know, we've been there."
Obama reports raising $19 million more for primary races Chicago Tribune Obama on track to raise a staggering $100 million this year for the primary campaign, a funding level that Clinton also could well reach. ........ Obama has been spending heavily to build a field organization in early voting states, particularly in Iowa and South Carolina. ...... Clinton .. has not shown signs of as much spending on field organization. ...... About a sixth of Obama's contributions for the quarter came from a September fundraiser at Oprah Winfrey's California home that brought in at least $3 million.
Democrats Surpass Republicans in Fund-Raising New York Times Obama has focused on building a big base of small donors whom he can repeatedly tap into for new money.
Obama campaign fund increases to nearly $80 mln Xinhua the Illinois Senator has received nearly 75 million dollars for the primaries and about 4 million dollars for the general elections.
Obama to play Iraq card against Clinton MSNBC 18 simultaneous rallies across the US to mark the fifth anniversary of his opposition to the Iraq war. ...... will kick off a four-day "judgment and experience" tour of the state of Iowa ..... Clinton's refusal to apologise for her 2002 vote ....... new polling data that show him moving into a narrow lead for the first time over Mrs Clinton among voters who are likely to participate in the Iowa caucus ...... At this stage in the 2004 Democratic presidential race, John Kerry, the eventual nominee, was running fifth in the national polls. ..... Edwards would drop out of the race if he did not win Iowa.
Clinton & Obama trade places in two Iowa polls; to Yepsen, race is ... USA Today
Bank at Google? CNET News.com shaking up the ad industry, moving into the enterprise space with hosted apps (much to Microsoft's chagrin), even betting on wireless and 700MHz spectrum. But banking? .... Google in Malaysia is offering AdSense payments to be made through Western Union .... the AdSense system is capable of morphing into a quasi-bank, particularly in regions with less robust monetary systems
Five Reasons Google Docs Beats Office Live Workspace CRN